Disney Doppelgangers
by robert3A-SN
Summary: Set in mid S2: Secret Disney fan Jeff sees "Tangled," a Disney film where naïve, wide eyed yet smart, sweet and brave lost princess Rapunzel changes a handsome, cocky, lying yet charming thief. Of course, Jeff's own Rapunzel is in the audience as well.


**Set in early December 2010 around mid-S2, in between "Mixology Certification" and "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" Also contains major spoilers for the movie "Tangled"**

Jeff had the routine down pat by now. He'd go to a theater well out of his way, put on sunglasses and a hat on the .001% chance he'd be recognized, pay for his ticket and food using a disguised voice, then find a seat that hopefully wasn't near too many children.

This formula worked almost every time he saw a Disney movie since he was 20. Fortunately, this wouldn't be one of the rare failures. So he felt good when he got to his seat for "Tangled" without being spotted.

Sometimes he got away with not going in disguise when he saw a Pixar movie – no one thought it was weird for adults to see _those_ by themselves. But for a movie based on the story of Rapunzel, the hat and glasses were excessively necessary. In fact, he put on his 3D glasses over his sunglasses at first, although it took him 10 minutes to see the folly in that. Yet he made certain no one would see his eyes for even a second while he switched glasses in the dark.

Now that he made sure no one would notice him alone at a Disney movie, Jeff could focus on the actual film. Not all non Pixar Disney animated movies had been worth the trouble lately, so he hoped this one would be. And to his surprise, it was.

"Tangled" took him back to the old school Disney movies from the early to mid 90s, only with CGI and 3D. All the classic Disney elements were there – and as it had been a while since non Pixar people used them well, Jeff found it refreshing. But the most classic element was having a spunky lost princess at the center – in this case Rapunzel.

This latest fairy tale figure turned Disney heroine rose up the list of Jeff's favorite princesses as the film went on. She was sheltered, naïve and overly trusting, but she was also book smart, creative, multi talented, a dreamer who wanted to see the world, and someone who was actually a lot tougher than she looked. Even in the early going, she stood up to blackmail charming, ultra handsome, hilarious bandit Flynn Ryder, took on a gang of singing ruffians, and used her magic hair powers to save the day.

She was doe eyed but defiant – especially with a frying pan – starry eyed but clever, and easily dismissed at first yet surprisingly powerful. And she even made a lying thief who lied about who he really was rediscover his humanity, in predictable yet…oddly plausible fashion.

In fact, as the sweet but formidable Rapunzel and the dashing but finally heroic Flynn sang the latest Disney love ballad, Jeff realized they were really pretty good together. Like a perfect duet or great….

Oh…..

Somehow, Jeff remembered not to curse at this epiphany in front of an audience of kids. He just held it in and squirmed through the third act, more eager to get out of a Disney theater than usual.

Once the happy ending rubbed it in for Jeff, he waited until the lights came up so he wouldn't look suspicious. When they did, he took off his 3D glasses and looked around for the best way out. But he didn't put his sunglasses on, leaving his eyes far too bare.

"Jeff?"

No way in Hell. He could say Hell in his head, at least. Then he almost said it from his mouth when he turned to the right.

Sitting about five seats to his left was the real life brunette Rapunzel. And knowing Jeff's luck, Annie had probably been sitting there the entire movie.

Yet Jeff still tried in vain to hide by putting his 3D glasses back on. But Annie kept looking at him through her own 3D glasses. Normally he'd laugh at seeing her in such garb, yet she could easily laugh at him too – for many _many _reasons.

"It _is_ you….I know that disguise hat from Greendale picture day! What are you doing _here_?" Annie whispered.

"Well, um….what are you doing seeing me here, stalker?" Jeff replied with nothing better to say.

"Jeff, you can guess why I'm here….or at least you have a lot of jokes about it. But it's a lot more likely for _me_ to be here than _you_," Annie reminded.

"Is that your first joke about this? I wouldn't lead the routine with that to the group, not that they'd believe you," Jeff jabbed back as he made his way down the aisle and Annie followed him.

"Jeff, I'm not trying to make jokes about this. And you can't make your jokes because I'll just keep asking why _you're _here in disguise. So since we're at a joke impasse, you might as well tell me." Damn, Annie's brain frying pans hurt worse than Rapunzel's 3D ones. But Jeff stayed quiet, hoping to run out the clock with Annie as always.

He kept going until he turned and saw Annie wasn't following – which relieved him until he saw her stop to dump her 3D glasses in a bin. Jeff still had them on in his rush to get out, though. Since 3D glasses were a poorer disguise than sunglasses, he turned back to put his away, although Annie was still there.

She obviously saw what a hurry he was in to leave, so she eventually sighed, rolled her eyes and started to go. It was her usual frustrated sigh at Jeff – one she had used a lot this semester. For many _many _reasons – most of which involved Jeff not talking to her.

"I love Disney movies, okay?" Jeff found himself daring to say out loud. He cursed himself for the volume – which he could do since the kids were almost all gone – but Annie did come back. So Jeff sighed himself, yet reasoned that this one truth could buy him out of trouble for a few months or so.

"Before I realized how awesome I was, I was kind of a Disney nerd. It helped me calm down after rough days at school….and a share of rough nights at home too. They really hook you when you're little…so much that you keep watching even after you get awesome. Then they got _really _good when I was a teenager, so I kept watching after I got older….and after they got less good. By then I knew how lame it was for adults to go to kids movies alone, so I….changed my ensemble," Jeff stated while pointing to his hat and pulling out his sunglasses.

"But you started watching them to get relief from your rough childhood?" Annie double checked. Of course _that _was what she got out of it.

"If that's what you got out of it..." Jeff quipped. "Go on, out with the 'awwws' and the 'Oh, I'm so sorry' and the 'How cute''s. Or whatever mocking or pity you have planned."

"Jeff, if you don't want me to say that, I'm not going to. I won't think it, either…..at least not _that _much," Annie admitted. "But I'm not that much of a judgy-bee either. Well, not as much as usual. I wouldn't judge you for liking Disney or pay you back for your Disney jokes….not entirely. I just find it interesting."

Jeff had to grudgingly remind his brain that Annie was the least likely to judge him for stuff like this. If Britta or Pierce or any of the others saw this, the jokes and character analysis and even gay jokes would have started long ago. But despite Annie's uptight study buddy routine, she wasn't one to judge someone for private, embarrassing stuff – or mock someone when she was aware they didn't like it. Then again, she did say it was interesting, so that could go either way.

"And what's your definition of interesting here?" Jeff inquired.

"Well, with you, interesting is when you open up about anything. I'm not criticizing you about it this time, though!" Annie quickly corrected. "It's just, I know you don't like to say stuff about yourself that you can't brag about. So when you do, it's all the more valuable and interesting. I like learning new things about you, Jeff….so I know how to appreciate it and be sensitive when I have the chance. At least I hope I do."

"Well, you're doing good this time," Jeff had to admit out loud. Maybe it was because it was on a subject Annie loved too – Jeff knew he wouldn't get such a break if a certain "Real World" tape got in her hands. "Maybe the Disney magic is contagious….although I imagine you were infected years ago too."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, all those Disney jokes about me are true," Annie rolled her eyes at. "But I _knew_ there was a reason you knew so much about Disney faces and choking Little Mermaids. So it takes one to know one….in more ways than one. I mean, Disney doesn't just help make boy's childhoods easier. It can help while a girl's parents are getting divorced….or help an older girl relax when she's all alone in a new home after leaving rehab. Those kinds of things…." Annie trailed off, but looked more relieved when Jeff gave one of his rare – and virtually extinct when Annie wasn't around – looks of sympathy and support.

Jeff always felt relieved and nervous whenever he had something in common with Annie. In things like this, they weren't so different despite their age – although that opened up other disturbing thoughts. So he tried to shake those off again, for the official reason that he didn't want to ruin their best one-on-one talk in a while. But the subject matter was getting depressing – the very antithesis of Disney. Leaving aside all the dead parents.

"Be honest….it _was _'The Little Mermaid' that made you relax more, wasn't it?" Jeff asked to make this a teasing conversation again.

"Actually, I'm more of a Belle kind of person. With maybe a dash of Snow White or Jasmine DNA," Annie offered. Jeff laughed, since bookworm Belle made total sense for Annie – but he had _just _gotten over that scene with Jasmine seducing Jafar in the red top before now.

Fortunately, he shook that off to start debating on other Disney favorites with Annie. They chose to hang around in the theater in lue of standing outside – since this wasn't close to the best neighborhood. Jeff needled Annie over Disney villains she was scared of when she was younger – with Scar, the Evil Queen and even Professor Ratigan leading the list. But Annie got Jeff to admit his fondness for a few Disney musical numbers – if _only _a few.

Inevitably, the talk went into the Disney movie they saw a half-hour ago. Annie was naturally head over heels for it, while Jeff more carefully gave his approval.

"But you know something? When I was watching it, I couldn't help but think a few characters were like us." And thus Annie brought the knot in Jeff's stomach back to life, even better than Rapunzel's magic hair could have.

Of course Annie was going to see Jeff in Flynn Ryder, see herself in Rapunzel and use that to say they should be together. He _knew _she was just pretending to find him gross and that her conspiracy acting wasn't acting! Now that they were far away from Greendale and the judging group, and she had softened him up with Disney, she'd lower the boom and curse him even better than Maleficent! And that added Disney reference probably wasn't helping….

"I just couldn't decide if Troy was the horse or the frog," Annie said, breaking Jeff's train of hyperventilating thought in the most surprising way. Maybe she was softening him up more by bringing up the others….but if it bought time and he could throw her off in the meantime…. "Actually, I think it was a chameleon," Jeff sidetracked.

"Nuanced," Annie answered, echoing the exchange they saw in the movie. "Maybe Abed's the chameleon and Troy's the horse. Troy's not as intense as the horse, but if Abed's an animal sidekick, then Troy's got to be one too."

"Makes as much sense as they do….take that for what you will," Jeff replied. "I could choose Pierce as the horse, but Pierce is far less mobile and competent."

"Jeff!" Annie protested before clamming up. "Then again, I guess _I _can't judge…..is it bad that I thought of _Britta_ as Mother Gothel?"

"Bad, no! Hilarious, maybe….I mean, Britta would be ticked to be _any _Disney character, let alone the evil mother! Hence, hilarious," Jeff theorized.

"But all Britta and Gothel have in common is curly hair….and maybe a _little_ vanity. And that they always think they 'know best.' But that's it, really!" Annie defended.

"I'm sure she'll be relieved to hear that," Jeff teased. In truth, he was relieved that Annie cast Britta in that role. Especially now that he _really_ thought about Mother Gothel's constant putdowns of Rapunzel, how she kept saying for her own selfish purposes that Rapunzel was naïve, weak and incapable of handling herself….and those condescending pats on the head.

Yeah, that was a tiny bit too close to home, so Britta would have to take one for the Jeff team. Like she did in other ways behind closed doors…but that was an even _worse _topic right about now. Even worse than the one about Britta/Gothel being Annie/Rapunzel's mother.

"Well, leaving aside the other characters, I still loved Rapunzel and Flynn the most," Annie declared.

"Even Flynn as much as Rapunzel?" Jeff asked before he knew what he was doing. "I mean, he is a thief and a con man who lied about his own name. Isn't he too much of a bad boy to be a Disney hero?"

"Oh, I knew he was all bluster from the start," Annie scoffed, which Jeff tried not to be offended by – not that he had reason to be. "I mean, he obsessed over his nose, he had a comical smolder, and he got beaten up and bribed by a young woman who never left her tower! Some master thief and bad boy….but since it wasn't who he really was, that made sense."

"Right….well, it all sounds so much simpler in Disney world," Jeff started. "But without animation and love ballads, it doesn't take 90 minutes, if any, to change like that. That's why Disney world is so popular, because it helps us believe the fantasy. Maybe a bit too well sometimes."

Jeff wanted to squash this quick, in case Annie was leading up to a more inaccurate Jeff-Flynn comparison. So maybe he was a little blunt – but as always, he saw this only after Annie looked a bit disappointed. Yet it was a smaller facial change than usual, so that was a break – albeit a marginal one. "I guess that makes sense. You hear it enough times, it'd almost have to," was all Annie said.

Damnit, why did sad Annie have to keep...doing things to Jeff? But then again, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if sad Annie didn't show up that often….at least around him. But then again, he had been bringing her out a lot during this semester….even though she should really have understood why by _now_. It really was easy enough for even her to understand….at least it seemed that way most of the time.

But Jeff supposed if he threw her a bone now, maybe he'd only have to do it once every few months and that would be that. That was the best and only reason.

"Then again, Disney does get some things right….like with their princesses, for instance. They've been getting tougher and spunkier since the old days, and Rapunzel is the best example yet," Jeff stated. "For someone who lives in a rotten neighborhood, she's pretty cool." Okay, that might have been a little too blatant. Yet Jeff soon focused less on that problem and more on Annie smiling.

"Well, critics were worried that it'd be more about Flynn than Rapunzel. But she _was _clearly the main character," Annie concluded.

"Exactly! She was kicking ass even at the start, when she supposedly couldn't take care of herself!" Jeff got carried away enough to say. "This wasn't about her learning to survive and prove herself in the real world….she could already do that. She didn't need to be saved or to be taught how to grow up and fend for herself! She already knew that stuff on her own, no matter how much no one else believed it! And….I kind of like that there are more Disney princesses like that now."

"Really? I didn't know you thought of Disney princesses that way. When you've talked about them before, it sounded like you just saw them as naïve, innocent and not so complex," Annie pointed out.

"Well….maybe I do make it look like that," Jeff kept spewing, despite the new warning signs in his brain. "You have to admit, the Disney princess clique didn't make the most complex impression early on. But now you see stronger examples like Belle and Jasmine and Esmeralda and Tiana, and now Rapunzel! So _now _when you talk about Disney princesses, it doesn't always mean a naïve little girl waiting for Prince Charming. It can also describe someone who's smart and fearless and surprisingly tough, and who's her own Prince Charming. I guess when you get older, you appreciate stuff like that in your animated heroines….at least more than you did when you were younger."

Jeff knew he should have made a strategic withdrawal a few sentences ago, or at least had an exit strategy by now. But the tractor beam of Annie's smile kept him locked in. Maybe it was because he hadn't felt that kind of Annie pull in a while – excluding those conspiracy madness moments he had _just _blocked out before now. There was also that one smile at the end of the pen mess, but the whole group was there so it didn't count as much. Yet _this_ was just for him when they were all alone….why did he miss that?

"Well, it's not like they can save themselves all the time," Annie responded, which was better than some alternatives Jeff dreamed up. It really was. "I mean, even Rapunzel had to be the damsel in distress at the end. It kind of bugged me that they used that same old formula, really."

"But she already saved Flynn, so he was just returning the favor," Jeff was taken aback to hear himself say. "She made a con man want to be better and return crowns and use his real identity again! That's way bigger than saving someone from evil moms or using magic hair. Flynn was only the hero in the end because Rapunzel made him way….he made him want to do that for the first time ever, really. So who's the bigger hero here, regardless of the same old Disney ending?"

"Well….I can tell you've already answered your own question," Annie noted while biting her lower lip.

"Of course I did, easy questions are easy to answer." Jeff forced himself to stop before he dug himself in any deeper. But then again, he was deep enough and hadn't fallen to the bottom yet – so maybe just one more for a closing argument. "No matter how many boy heroes they put in to help box office, Rapunzel is the real hero. And no matter how villains or Flynn mess with her in the sequels, I'm pretty sure she'll be an even greater heroine when she's older. I'd stake my non-existent lawyer's salary on it."

Okay, maybe ending with a joke would help save Jeff's manhood and keep Annie from getting carried away. Annie _was _just smiling instead of jumping up and clinging to him and saying she loved him, so that was good. As for saving Jeff's manhood and dignity….he found himself worrying less and less about that than he expected.

"I really hope you're right, Jeff. But if Flynn's bailing her out when it's too tough for even her, I don't have to hope. I'd just know," Annie assured. And that assurance started to feel just as…..reassuring to Jeff as it looked like it did to Annie.

Yet Annie went back into a panic mode when she glanced outside. "Oh no, we talked too long! The sun's going to set any minute now, I have to get home! I, um….have things to do after sunset that I'd rather not do outside! I'll see you later, Jeff!"

Just like that, this little one-on-one talk was over – and that made Jeff call out "Annie, hold on!" Luckily, he thought of an _actual _reason to call her back by the time she got there. "It goes without saying that none of this reaches the study room….doesn't it?" Okay, maybe it wasn't the best worded reason.

"No, no, of course it doesn't," Annie said, seemingly unaffected. "Your dirty Disney secret is safe with me. Even if you keep using Disney princess jokes….now that I have more reason to be flattered by them."

"Well, thanks for that….and, and thanks for the other stuff too," Jeff said, once again resigning himself to talking too much. "I kind of missed these little talks of ours….I know we haven't had much of them lately." Shut up, Winger. "I know about 80, maybe 82 percent of that was my fault." Shut up, Winger! "So….I guess I'm overdue to say I'm sorry about that. The Britta stuff, summer stuff, the pen stuff, the conspiracy stuff….probably the Troy birthday party stuff for some reason. So...like I said, I'm sorry." Okay, _now _shut up, Winger.

Annie took that in, studying Jeff in that extra hard way she does when she….sees more than Jeff expects. But finally, she broke into a smile again and said, "Oh, what the heck? Who am I to turn you down for missing this too? It's all the more special when you _admit _you're wrong, so I'll appreciate that while I can too. Besides, I _have _to forgive you since it's almost Christmas break! Better to do it now before some crazy Greendale Christmas stuff distracts us, right?"

"Very wise, Milady….I mean, your highness," Jeff chuckled before being joined by Annie. He was relieved that she accepted….and that he could shut up for real, of course. Plus, since she accepted his apology for Britta paintball sex, it could count as his apology if Britta secret sex, and Britta making out while Annie was being dropped off by Troy, ever got revealed. But that was silly, since there was no reason to apologize for any of that. None at all.

After a few more seconds of shared smiles, Annie looked outside and gasped again. "Darnit, it looks darker than it did two minutes ago! Now I _really_ have to go, I'll see you at school, Jeff!" With that, Annie raced off into the still bright out outside world. Jeff sighed over how she really must live in a bad neighborhood, if she has to race the sunset to get home.

If only to stop himself from thinking about that, he reasoned if Annie was really like her latest Disney doppelganger, she would overcome being stuck in a tower too. This one was probably surrounded by far fewer flowers and animal sidekicks, yet Disney princesses had thrived through far worse. As long as it wasn't near sex shops or anything.

Yet while Annie was every bit her new Disney doppelganger, Jeff now made himself remember he was nothing like his own – at least not in the movie's second half. This was easier to remember when Annie wasn't around – which was for the best. Truly, it was.

But in the days ahead, Jeff remembered talking and teasing and confiding in Annie more than the embarrassing stuff. It really had been too long since he could just do that without anything hanging over them. And true to her word, Annie didn't bring up anything Disney related to the group when school reopened. So out of common courtesy, Jeff held off his usual Disney jokes in the meantime – even when Annie made it easy for him to fall off the wagon at times.

Nevertheless, the whole thing was relieving. So much so that it even made Jeff and Annie sing the words "I love you" together during a climactic Christmas stop motion song in Abed's mind days later. Long and painful story, really.

But then the Rich incident happened when they got back from break. Then the usual Greendale lunacy progressed, then secrets involving Britta came out, and the awkward status quo was back in no time. Soon, the accidental Disney/Tangled date became just another sweet memory that had to be brushed aside, blocked out and forgotten in public, like all the others.

Yet when Jeff and Annie finally got it right two years later, Annie remembered enough to dress as Rapunzel in their first costume party as a couple. And despite Jeff's predictable effort to barely pass as Flynn Ryder, he did do more on Valentine's Day – when he enlisted Troy and Abed to transcribe "Tangled" and set up him and Annie to dub in Flynn and Rapunzel's voices on a copied DVD. It was sort of a tribute to their first date kind of thing – at least that's what Jeff said when Annie let his lips move.

In return, Annie conceded that her and Jeff's duet of "I See The Light" would never leave the Trobed apartment. And that Troy and Abed would _only _listen to Jeff's 'singing' for their own amusement once a week.


End file.
